Comments on: Fresh Pili Nuts

By: nhetz

nhetz — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:07:20 +0000

i like pili nuts!!

By: Harry M. Taningco

Harry M. Taningco — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:52:34 +0000

am interested to know more about pili trees…would you have materials to the effect pertaining to its management…planning to engage into pili farm and read that there are more hectares planted in Bicol… is that righ? are there any NGO or government entity focusing along this line. how profitable is it? planning to start with 10 hectares only… any funding available on experimental venture? am located in barotac viejo, iloilo. thanks and regards. harry miravite taningco

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 20:28:01 +0000

You got it, MM! Mindoro celebrates the Sandugo Festival that commemorates a blood compact between the Mangyans and the Chinese.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 03:56:39 +0000

Ma’i, in reference to the Philippine isles/archipelago, but some will narrow it down to the island of Mindoro…is that right?

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 02:25:01 +0000

My husband was fascinated by the pili nut and wondered if it would grow just as well in places other than Bicol. So he took some viable nuts home from Naga years ago and tried to get these to germinate. Only a few did, and that’s when we discovered that the pili nut shell (that is cut, polished and made into all kinds of handcrafted items) has a tiny oval “door” that pops open upon germination, allowing the infant pili tree to break free of its thick, woody womb. We were thrilled and transfixed by that little miracle of a “door” that most Bicolanos probably take for granted.

Those few trees now grow in an orchard in the ancient land of Ma-i (frequented by Chinese and other Asian and Arab traders since emperors ruled China). Guess where that is!

By: Wilson Cariaga

Wilson Cariaga — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 00:49:30 +0000

I never thought you could eat this raw. . . hmmm

By: Dennis

Dennis — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 15:38:36 +0000

While most people have known the pili nut in their “candy” form, my family had always loved the raw fruit instead. The same is probably true with most Bicolanos. We only buy the “candy” kind for pasalubong to friends in the city. While the nut is undoubtedly the best part of the fruit (and the most fun too if you haven’t cracked a pili nut shell before), the hairy pulp when ripe and done right is near as good. Boiled till it’s tender, it’s great with patis (or balao) and sili, and freshly cooked rice.

By: honey

honey — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:19:07 +0000

the pili tree is like the coconut tree. its parts can be used in several ways. the thin skin in the fruit can be used as fodder for pigs. the hairy part is eaten, the hard shell of the nut is great for building fires and the nut of course, is eaten either fresh or cooked in several ways. the sap of the pili is also extracted and can be used in lighting fires. just stick a lighted match in it and it will burst into flames. a piece of the sap around half an inch in diameter and around 1 centimeter in thickness will last a while, enough to ignite dry wood. and the smell is almost like that of incense.

By: Apicio

Apicio — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 12:43:06 +0000

Quick processing right after harvest and packing in vacuum are just two of the obvious ways one can postpone Pile nutsâ€™ turning rancid. And technology surely has myriad ways of actually stabilizing its volatile oil but that would surely be playing fast and loose with its unique flavour which is what draws us to it in the first place, a tropical scent that can also be detected in green mangoes and which perfumers attempt to evoke with the use of Benzoin. Meanwhile, the rest of humanity does not know that we have much more flavorful marcipan and pralines or even (pile) pies than they will ever be priviledged to know.